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Re: Betsy and Jemima
I think Betsy is fine, but Jemima reminds me of racist caricatures. I would avoid it.
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Here in South Africa we know a bit about racist caricatures, but of course we didn't have the same slavery problem as you - there were some slaves here, but they came from the East Indies (in the main; possibly a few West Africans but not enough to gatecrash the statistics) and the image seems to have been completely different. The original African inhabitants of South Africa didn't fit the cheerfully singing plantation worker stereotype at all - I imagine that's what sinks poor Jemima? Because all I think of is the daughter of Richard Goldsmith, the wife of Imran Khan, the little bit on the side of Hugh Grant ... not quite the same! The image she gives to Jemima is trendy, attractive, distinctive and wealthy. Oh, and white but multicultural!
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When I hear Jemima, I think of a big, black lady with a rag tied over her head. Think Mammy from "Gone With the Wind." It's interesting to think that some cultures have a completely different visual, because that's the one that's been planted in my head.
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